Bloody Hunger
by SUITELIFEFAN
Summary: Red eyes, flared nostrils, a glare that could pierce the heavens, and a fist, clenched till white, raised above his head. It was a terrifying sight, yet it was something that Zack had expected as the first reaction from Cody after ten years of estrangement.
1. Prologue

**Bloody Hunger - Prologue**

9:30pm, November 9th, 2024

Zack Martin had only seen this side of his brother once before.

Red eyes, flared nostrils, a glare that could pierce the heavens, and a fist, clenched till white, raised above his head. It was a terrifying sight, yet it was something that Zack had expected as the first reaction from Cody after ten years of estrangement.

His little brother was pissed.

Gulping and loosening his black tie, Zack grinded his teeth together and made a quick glance backwards. Deniero, the target, had turned tail long ago, a single silhouette against the night scenery of Boston.

He swore inwardly. _Fuck._

The mission would have to wait.

After years of watching his brother from the shadows, Zack was more than aware of the hell that Cody, a far cry from the sniveling dorky kid that he once was eighteen years ago, could raise against those that irritated him. It was testament to Cody's reliability that he hardly ever failed in his missions.

Never once, however, had Zack imagined that he'd be caught. Never once did he suspect that he would one day be subject to said hell. A part of Zack was tempted to just stand resolutely in the path of Cody's bullish charge, while the other screamed for him to get out of the way. The latter was, of course, significantly more sensible.

"Cody!"

Zack shouted out at his younger brother, who, blinded by rage, didn't seem to hear him. Removing his tie completely from his neck, Zack tossed it carelessly to the side, the black silk soaked by dirty water on the ground.

"Let me explain!"

Cody let out a gutteral, feral growl as he continued his relentless charge, spitting out his next words with utmost ferocity.

"You bloody fucker!"

What happened next was so fast that it took Zack's brain far too long to properly process it.

Skidding on his final steps, Cody twisted his body three hundred and sixty degrees around, spinning on his left leg as he lifted his right. The fist, which had been so tightly clenched just seconds ago, dropped to his side, much to Zack's surprise. Instead, the older of the two men was greeted by the sight of his brother's right leg lifting upwards, his foot, clad in black leather, spinning right towards his face in a nearly graceful arc.

A move was something that a trained practitioner of savate could be proud of. There wasn't any time for Zack to react, to raise his arms to block the attack, or to even take a breath.

The black hard leather shoe smashed into the side of Zack's head, sending him flying like a rag doll towards the brick wall that made the alley where the two brothers were. Yelling out in shock, Zack tried to regain his balance like his training had given him instinct to, but regaining one's balance in mid air was practically impossible. His body hit the bricks painfully, Zack himself cringing as he heard a crack from somewhere on his upper body, the sound shattering the quiet of the Boston night. In an action that was ironically comedic, he slid down from the wall to the dirty ground, leaving behind a noticable indent on the wall.

Cody stood there, breathing heavily, in a fighting stance that still screamed aggression.

_What the fuck was that?!_

Wincing as he placed his hand on his cheek, Zack relied on his other hand for balance as he stood from where he had awkwardly landed, taking a few seconds to readjust his disoriented brain to his surroundings. Shaking his head to clear the fogginess that had started to set into his vision, Zack lifted his hand from his face and looked at his palm.

Blood.

Zack looked up at his angry brother, the sudden clarity giving him an epiphany with regards to handling the situation.

The rains continued pouring down from the heavens.

Cody needed one thing right now. He needed to blow off some steam. Thankfully, Zack was more than equipped for this kind of situation.

"If you really want to play it like that, Codes…"

Zack allowed his black suit jacket to slide off his shoulders as he tossed the garment to the side. Ignoring the urgent beeping of his wristwatch and the scalding hot pain that flooded his left shoulder, Zack placed himself in an attacking stance, fists clenched, elbows horizontal.

He grinned.

"Let's play."

* * *

**Author's Note** - Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Blood Hunger, a new story idea I recently had with regards to this fandom. There's going to be a lot of action and drama, so if you're the kind of reader who enjoys action mixed with family conflict and resolution, this is the story for you. Stick around and review when you can.

~SUITELIFEFAN


	2. Chapter 1

**Bloody Hunger - Chapter 1**

4:00pm, Febuary 2nd, 2024

"Sir, your pass key, please."

The twenty-eight year old DIA agent groaned at the voice behind him. Sweaty and fatigued, he wanted nothing more than to take a shower and refresh himself after the events that had just consipired hours ago, but the procedures of the agency seemed to be purposefully delaying his deserved rest.

"Patrick, Patrick…" The young man turned around and gave the security guard a tired grin. "It's me. I've been working here for the past ten years."

"Even so, rules are rules, Mr Martin." The security guard smiled back. "With the technology available in the black market today, foreign spies could easily don a diguise that cannot be identified by our naked eyes alone. You of all people…" he winked. "…should know that."

The young man bit his lip.

"Fine."

Extracting am embellished keycard from his shirt pocket, the man handed the device over to the guard, who processed it through a handheld reader. Raising the device up to eye level, the guard placed the device at the man's right eye, waiting for the retina scan to activate. Moments later, the device beeped in affirmation of the man's identity.

"It appears that your identity is in fact uncompromised, Mr Martin."

The young man scoffed, causing the guard to grin.

"I'm terribly sorry, Cody, but I'm…"

"-Just doing your job, I know, I know." Cody smiled warmly as he retrieved his card from the guard. "Sorry for the trouble, Patrick, just had a tough mission. At this point I just really want to get back into the office and just chill in the sauna for a while."

"In that case, don't let me hold you up any longer. Have a nice rest, Cody."

Thanking the guard, Cody walked through the electronic scanner, which affirmed that all electronic devices on Cody emitted the signature electromagnetic fingerprint installed by the DIA. Waving at Patrick from behind him, Cody stepped through the glass doors of the DIA headquarters, allowing a burst of chilly air conditioning hit him.

_What a day._

Even after ten years of working in the secret headquarters of the Defense Intelligence Agency of America, the sight of the building's internal workings never failed to amaze Cody. The floor, completely adorned with black marble, was so incredibly reflective that it gave the illusion of walking on a thin sheet of black ice. The building's lobby was essentially an enormous circular chamber that rose five stories. Its transparent, domed ceiling towered 120 feet at its central peak, various glass rooms on every floor, offices of some of the greatest minds in the world.

This was the place that Cody Martin had called home for the past ten years.

As Cody slowly slid past the hustle and bustle of defense scientists scuttering on the ground floor, he heard his boss call out to him from his office.

"Mr Martin!"

Cursing at the fact that his trip to sauna would have to be momentarily delayed yet again, Cody turned to his left and walked towards the office of the commander. Knocking on the glass door, he received affirmation to enter. His boss looked up, and as procedure dictated, switched on the room's soundproofing system, ensuring that no trace of their conversation would be heard from the outside.

"Good to see you, Mr Martin. Excellant job on the mission, we managed to return all the hostages to safety after you left."

"It's my job, Mr Stevenson. I'm just glad I could help."

"I caught wind from the higher ups that they might be throwing another mission our way in a few hours. I would send Barry and Jonas, but they've been preoccupied with that other mission in Japan. I wanted to contact Bailey as well, but she's on personal leave and I'd rather not disturb her on her break. If you understand what I'm saying…"

_Oh, hell no, hell NO._ Cody swore inwardly. _I want my goddamn sauna, dammit!_

Almost as though he were reading his subordinate's mind, Mr Stevenson grinned.

"No worries, Mr Martin. Everyone in our department is more than aware of your habit of enjoying a steam after a mission. As I quote my secretary whom you flirt with on an almost daily basis, 'It keeps the mind fresh and the body fresher, Ms Harriet'."

It took nearly all of Cody's willpower to not melt into a puddle of embarrassment at his boss' mocking, the use of his finger air-quotes not helping his situation.

"I don't expect the call to come in for about 3 hours or so. You can still enjoy the pleasures of your steam room."

Sighing, Cody nodded.

"Yes, Mr Stevenson."

* * *

"Sir, your pass key, please."

The twenty-eight year old DIA agent groaned at the voice behind him. Sweaty and fatigued, he wanted nothing more than to take a shower and refresh himself after the events that had just consipired hours ago, but the procedures of the agency seemed to be purposefully delaying his deserved rest.

"Joseph, Joseph…" The young man turned around and gave the security guard a tired grin. "It's me, dude. I've been working here for what…eight years now?"

"Rules are rules, Mr Martin." The security guard smiled back. "The world is a dangerous place, there are tons of spies around. You of all people…" he winked. "…should know that."

The young man bit his lip.

"Fine. But if someone else is already in the weights room when I get there, you owe me lunch."

"Well, that's hardly a fair deal, Mr Martin." Taking the embellished keycard from the man, the guard processed it through a handheld reader. Raising the device up to eye level, the guard placed the device at the man's right eye, waiting for the retina scan to activate. Moments later, the device beeped in affirmation of the man's identity.

"Looks like you're still yourself, Mr Martin."

The young man scoffed, causing the guard to grin.

"I'm sorry for the trouble, Zack, but I'm…"

"-Just doing your job, I know." Zack grinned cheekily. "Sorry for the attitude, man, just went on a tough mission."

"Ah, yes." The guard nodded knowingly. "How's your brother doing, by the way?"

"Cody? He's fine." Zack shrugged. "I've been shadowing him for quite a while, he's always been safe and gets the job done quickly. I haven't had to swoop in to save his ass yet."

"Well, your brother is quite famous amongst us here in the DIA. Of course, you would be pretty famous yourself too, Zack, if most of the DIA actually even knew about this branch-"

"-Yeah, I know." Zack coughed a little. "I'm sorry, Joseph, but I'm in a bit of a hurry, so-"

"I understand, Zack. Have a nice rest."

Zack grinned back.

"Thanks, man."

Zack walked through the electronic scanner, which affirmed that all electronic devices on Zack emitted the signature electromagnetic fingerprint installed by the DIA. Waving at Joseph from behind him, Zack stepped through the glass doors of the secret branch of the DIA, allowing a burst of chilly air conditioning hit him.

_What a day._

Having visited the DIA headquarters once before, Zack knew that the place he was currently in structurally paled in comparison to the main headquarters. Instead of the black marble floor that Zack had nearly drooled on years ago, the secret branch had plain concrete floors and a significantly smaller interior. It was, however, sufficient for Zack to call his home.

Striding towards the inner sanctum of the building, Zack took off his suit jacket and laid it on his shoulder, loosening his tie and letting it hang loosely from around his neck.

_Weights room, here I come._

* * *

Switching on the privacy system that Cody had requested the DIA install in his office, he watched as the transparent glass walls of his private office slowly darkened and faded to opaque black, engulfing the entire office in darkness. Seconds later, the dim LED lights switched on, surrounding the entire room in a thin film of white light. The electronic sign on the outside of Cody's door flashed a "Do Not Disturb", adding a smaller comment underneath the three words that Mr Martin was busy and one should not intrude lest they find themselves hogtied and castrated the second they stepped in.

_The pleasures of being a secret agent._

Cody Martin was much more than a "defense scientist". Most of the people working in the building identified him as thus, but few were truly aware of his job scope. Recruited by the DIA ten years ago as part of a special (and top secret) task force, Cody routinely left headquarters for missions, with tasks that usually required his advanced knowledge of defense security systems. His actions and tracks were covered up by DIA operatives, the majority of the colleagues thinking that he merely went on a lot of field expeditions to foreign defense science agencies.

With this job scope, of course, came preferential treatment.

Cody slipped off his black suit jacket and allowed it to fall onto his desk chair. Removing his tie and tossing it into a corner, he tapped the leftmost button on the armrest console of his desk. Seconds later, a voice rang out.

"You have, ONE, voice message."

"Good afternoon, Mr Martin. This is Ms Pickett. I'm on leave in Barbados right now. Just wanted to call in to check up on business at work. If need be, contact Mr Stevenson and I'll get him to charter a flight back to headquarters in a jiffy. Otherwise, see you on Monday."

"Message complete."

Cody shook his head in exasperation._ Bailey, Bailey, Bailey._ The team's only female agent was as overly-enthusiastic about the job as humanly possible. The girl more than deserved a long break, and he was somewhat glad that Mr Stevenson had convinced her to take her compulsory yearly leave and his offer of a free trip to anywhere in the world. Tapping the button twice to save the message, Cody pushed his chair back into its proper position.

Lifting up a painting on the back wall of his office just behind his desk, Cody placed his eye on the retinal scan, hearing a satisfying beep.

"Identity confirmed. Good afternoon, Agent Martin."

With a very slight hiss, the back wall of Cody's office slid slowly apart in half, revealing a hidden corridor that was brightly lit by blue lights. Stepping into the corridor, Cody heard the wall slide back into position. He was once again engulfed in darkness.

He clapped. Twice.

The lights to Cody's apartment-slash-private workplace switched on dramatically at his entrance, the television switching on automatically to the Discovery Channel, just as where Cody had previously left it at. The air conditioning switched itself on, as well as the sauna, evidenced by the familiar sound of the heating system starting up. A panel on the wall beside Cody popped open, exposing a bottle of fresh red wine and glasses. Not wanting a drink at this time of the day, Cody tapped the glasses thrice, stimulating the panel to slide back into position.

Now completely sure that he wouldn't be interrupted by unwanted guests, Cody slipped off his belt and placed it gently on his couch. Slowly undoing his shirt buttons, Cody threw the garment into the laundry chute. Slipping off his hard leather shoes and black socks, Cody detached the clip on his trousers and allowed them to fall to the ground, leaving him standing in a pair of white boxer briefs. Walking into the bathroom, he grabbed a towel from the toiletries dispenser mounted on the wall and rid himself of the underwear, wrapping the towel securely around himself.

_Finally!_ Cody couldn't help but grin. He had been looking forward to this ever since his flight had lifted off from London.

He pushed the door to the sauna room. A burst of hot air hit his tired face, waking him up almost instantly. Checking the temperature on the dial placed on the outside of the room, Cody walked into the sauna.

It was just the right temperature.

Sighing, Cody felt himself melt into the wooden seat, his brain nearly shutting down entirely from exhaustion. The mission that he had just participated in, switching off a highly complicated defense system and taking out an entire floor of guards, took a little more toll on him than he had expected. The fact that he had been unarmed was probably part of the cause.

Slowly, Cody felt himself start to drift away, only to be pulled back to ugly reality by the sound of a voice on the intercom system.

"Mr Martin?"

Thinking that he had hallucinated it, Cody ignored the sound.

"Mr Martin? Can you hear me?"

The voice was followed by a shrill alarm that blared deafeningly throughout the apartment, amplifying itself in the enclosed sauna room. Almost immediately, Cody's eyes snapped open, feeling the bones in his eardrum vibrate with ferocity. Startled, Cody slipped and fell off the wooden chair, landing painfully on his behind.

_What in the-_

Throwing open the door to the sauna, Cody smashed his hand down onto the green button that was located on the side of every door in the house. Instantly, the alarm faded away. Swearing under his breath, Cody stumbled to the large television screen in his miniature apartment and switched to the undesignated channel. A few seconds later, an image sprang to life on the screen, the camera mounted on the television also switching on to face Cody, such that the person on the other line could see who was responding to his call.

"Mr Martin? Oh, thank goodness."

"Mr Stevenson." It took all of Cody's willpower not to scream at this point.

"I apologize for this incredibly early interruption, Mr Martin, but I just received the call from my higher ups. The mission schedule has been pushed forward a few hours."

Cody raised his eyebrows.

"This early?"

"I have to apologize on their behalf, Mr Martin."

Cody glanced back towards the suana room longingly.

"I was actually intentending to-"

"-I'm terribly sorry, Mr Martin, but unfortunately this can't wait. The mission involves something that…threatens national security on unprecedented levels. They need the best to help resolve the situation."

Upon hearing his boss' urgent tone of voice, Cody pushed aside all thoughts of relaxation.

"I'll pick up the mission instructions at the office and set off in ten minutes, Mr Stevenson. Just help me prepare a jet."

Mr Stevenson sighed in relief.

"Thank you, Mr Martin."

"Just doing my job, Sir."

The television display switched off and returned to the Discovery Channel, the Mythbusters now back to blowing stuff up and testing old myths. Cursing his lack of luck, Cody walked to his bedroom for a fresh set of clothes.

_Here we go again…_

* * *

"Mr Martin?"

Startled by the loud voice from the intercom mounted on the gym wall, Zack dropped his weights in surprise, the heavy weights narrowly missing his feet. Swearing to himself, Zack snatched a towel from the rack and wiped himself with it. He then tapped a button on the intercom and spoke into it.

"Sec Agent Martin."

The voice recognition identified Zack's voice.

"Identity confirmed."

The display on the ceiling sprang to life. Zack narrowed his eyes in surprise at the sight of his boss.

"Mr Stevenson?"

"Agent Martin. I contact you today with urgent news. My higher ups have reached me about Cody's next mission, and your brother will be en route to Glasgow, Scotland in about ten minutes."

Zack nodded his head.

"And you need me to shadow him again? No problem, boss. You can count on me."

"Mr Martin, this mission is quite unprecedented." Zack raised his eyebrows at his boss' tone of voice. "I have never sent Cody on something as…dangerous as this before."

There was an eerie sense of foreboding in his voice.

"I worry for his safety. Hopefully it won't come to this, but in the situation whereby you need to step in, don't hesitate."

Zack cringed.

"I need your hundred percent for this mission, Agent Martin. If you don't think you're up to it, I can call in another Sec Agent-"

"No, sir." Zack fixed a resolute, determined expression on his face.

"Leave it to me."

* * *

**Author's Note** - I've always wanted to write a fic of this nature, and how awesome would the idea of Zack and Cody being agents be? To those who read the prologue and were expecting something different, I apologize, but I hope you'll still stick around for the rest of the story. If it seems confusing at this point of time, just realize that Zack and Cody are in entirely different buildings altogether. I will eventually tie my story to the main plot of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody at some point. Reviews greatly appreciated.

~SUITELIFEFAN


	3. Chapter 2

**Bloody Hunger - Chapter 2**

9:00pm, August 2nd, 2024

A few hundred feet above one of the tallest buildings in Glasgow, a lone helicopter hovered, its wings spinning silently and rapidly, mirroring the emotions of its cargo. The black exterior of the aerial vehicle blended in effortlessly with the night sky, the weather being perfect for a mission, with nary a single cloud in the sky.

Zack Martin jumped up from his seat as he felt a sudden vibration in his pocket. Snatching up his phone, he hastily read through the message, only to scowl frustrated as he read the contents of an automated message delivered by a Scottish mobile service provider. Zack swore under his breath and tossed his phone onto the dashboard of the helicopter, the device falling with a clatter on the plastic dashboard ridden with numerous controls.

The helicopter pilot, the only other person on the vehicle, raised his eyebrow.

"Something on your mind, Agent Martin?"

"No, no…" Zack attempted to brush the pilot's question aside as he looked out the window. "Just a little jittery today, no big deal. Hopefully we can just get this mission done and over with."

The pilot turned his head to look at Zack, now seemingly more confused.

"What's up with all the worrying today? You've never worried once on the past missions that I've followed you on. I'm sure Agent Cody is more than capable of completing any mission safely."

"The boss told me that this time is especially dangerous, so I'm worried. Just…keep watching the tracker and tell me if something comes up, alright?"

"Yes sir."

Wiping his sweaty palms on his pants, Zack tried to calm his violently throbbing heart, but to no avail. The fact that he might actually have to step in into one of his brother's own missions after nearly ten years of not seeing each other terrified him more than the possibility of either of them getting into trouble. Without warning, his brain set off into a series of involuntary postulations with regards to the events that will transpire upon their meeting.

Cody didn't know a damn thing. Tonight he might find out.

_What happens then?_

No doubt Cody would be furious. In the worst case scenario, one of them might leave the DIA, and they would drift apart again till they were nothing more than strangers. Zack sure as hell didn't want something like that to happen. It was bad enough that he had to keep his presence a secret from his brother. But to break off all connections from him…

He couldn't bear the thought.

As his mind drifted slowly through the mass of postulations, an involuntary flashback popped into his mind.

**Flashback**

"I'm begging you, please listen!"

A waterfall of tears cascaded down Zack's bloodshot eyes as he struggled against the handcuffs that bound his hands tightly behind his back, restraining him from doing anything dangerous. Pride took a backseat to the need to survive as Zack stared pleadingly up at the government agent, who looked down at him coolly behind a pair of glossed sunglasses.

The prison warden, upon observing Zack struggle against the cuffs that arrested his movement, shouted out.

"Oi! If you know what's good for you, stop rattling the damn cuffs!"

"Calm down, Gerald."

The warden was silenced by the man in the sunglasses, the man's chilly presence intimidating him significantly.

"I have something to say in private to this young man here. Do you mind leaving us for a moment?"

Zack, who hadn't expected the man to accept his plea, ceased his shaking as he looked up at the man in surprise. The warden started to stammer, not anticipating the request.

"I'm…I'm sorry, sir…but…prison regulations state that the warden, or another guard, must be with the prisoner when-"

"-I believe my department holds jurisdiction over yours, Gerald." The man turned to the warden and raised an eyebrow threateningly. "And believe my assistant and I are more than capable of defending ourselves should the need arises."

The warden's face paled.

"Leave us, and lock the door."

He gulped.

"Yes sir."

Beckoning to the guards stationed in the tiny visiting room, the warden, still hesitant, lead his cohort out of the area, shutting the door behind him. Pursing his lips upon the click of the door locking, the man in the sunglasses turned to his female assistant seated comfortably in the corner of the room.

"Maria, are there any-"

"-Security devices? Yes. There are cameras on all four corners of the room, and multiple hidden microphones to pick up sounds. I disabled all the auditory devices with the electronic washout device the moment we stepped into the room. As long as no suspicious movements are made, we can talk at will."

Zack's teary eyes widened at her words. The way she was speaking reminded him very much of various movies that he had watched in his adolescence and teenage years.

The man in the sunglasses removed them from his face, revealing a pair of piercing blue eyes.

"Mr Martin."

For the first time, Zack noticed a certain resonant quality to the man's voice.

"My name is Agent Stevenson. I'm from the Defense Intelligence Agency of the United States, a defense sector of the US government that was set up under the presidency of President John F. Kennedy. I believe you might have heard of it?"

Zack hadn't heard of the agency in his entire life. He wondered if Cody knew about it.

"I don't understand. What are you…what does this have to do with…"

"We know you're innocent, Mr Martin."

Zack's heartbeat stopped for a few seconds upon hearing his words. There wasn't a trace of moisture in his mouth.

"Unfortunately, the District Court of Massachusetts thinks otherwise. We believe you have been framed."

Zack felt his spirits rising as he gave a small smile, despite his confusion.

"You can get me out of here?"

"Directly, no." The man turned his head to give an uneasy grimace to the woman named Maria. "The DIA is typically not involved in civilian court issues such as this one. We have little to no jurisdiction in methods outside of the military and its operations."

"But you told the prison warden just now-"

"I lied." The man allowed a small smile to slip onto his face. "You'd be surprised what government officials will believe when they see a guy in a suit with an official-looking pass hanging around his neck."

Zack couldn't bear to laugh at his joke. His hopes appeared to have been dashed yet again.

"So there's…no way you can prove my innocence?"

"No, Mr Martin. What has occurred is indeed a tragedy. I'm sorry for your loss, and the fact that the District Court is unable to see the truth."

Zack looked down at the table at which he was seated, more morose than ever. The mention of his loss…that was probably the most painful thing in the man's sentence. The reminder hit him hard.

"We do, however, have a way to get you out of here. Unfortunately, it'll require some…give and take on your part."

Zack glanced up from the table.

"What do you mean?"

"We have a preposition for you, Mr Martin."

The woman named Maria stood from her seat at the corner of the room and handed Stevenson a black briefcase. Accepting the object, Stevenson popped open the catch and allowed the hard backing of the case to land heavily on the table with a thud.

"Peruse these for a moment, and tell me what you think."

As Zack scanned through the three sheets of paper, each with a stamp and signature to confirm the articles were classified, a mix of heavy emotions rose in his throat as he struggled to breathe.

Confusion, shock…and disbelief.

**End Flashback**

Zack jumped up from his seat, snapping out from his momentary reverie, as a hand landed on his shoulder. Looking around, he saw the pilot, looking slightly worried.

"Agent Martin, you spaced out for a little bit there. Are you feeling alright? Should I contact headquarters and ask them to send for-"

"-No, that's alright, George. Was just…thinking about stuff. Did anything come up on the tracker?"

"Everything's clear so far, Agent Martin. Your brother entered the building an hour ago, and no emergency signs have been triggered as of yet."

Noting the pilot's selective choice of words, Zack clenched his jaw tightly and stood up, watching the building from the tiny side window of the helicopter cockpit. A feeling of tight constraint consumed him. Frustrated by his inability to do anything at his moment in time, Zack opened the door of the cockpit and stepped out into the passenger loading area, allowing himself more room to roam about.

"Tell me if something happens, George."

"Yes sir."

Zack sat down on one of the passenger seats and prayed that nothing out of the ordinary would happen.

* * *

Deep within the inner sanctum of the most heavily guarded building in Glasgow, Scotland, Cody Martin breathed heavily as he ducked behind a wall and crouched in its shadow, narrowing missing being spotted by the heavily armed guard with the threatening weapon in his hands.

From the looks of the numerous guards that he had seen as he slowly traversed the multiple floors of the building, they weren't mere amateurs. Also, the building was oddly constructed, with no central stairwell and one flight of stairs between each level at different positions between levels. Mr Stevenson was clearly right about the mission being one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult, mission he would face thus far in his career.

Entering the building had, surprisingly, been the easiest part of Cody's mission. The entrance was relatively sparsely guarded, and with his knowledge of deceptive techniques and the weakness of security systems Cody managed to bypass the front door security with nary a hitch. It had been after the second floor onwards did Cody start to feel nervous about the mission.

Cody had always been more of a deceptive agent than a confrontational one. Amongst the secret DIA team, he was one of the only agents who favored stealthiness over head-on confrontation. His reasons for his preference for the former were legit; though well-trained in a variety of martial arts, he had never been incredibly muscular like some of his agent counterparts. Also, it had always made more sense for him to get into a building, complete his objective and leave without drawing an entire legion of guards to himself.

Ensuring that the wall behind which he was hiding was not being watched at that moment, Cody quickly slipped a hand into his pocket and extracted his mobile phone. He tapped a few of the buttons, and in seconds an electronic map of the building, including a tracking dot for his current location, sprang to life on the screen.

_Only two more floors…_

Wiping off the thin film of sweat on his forehead, Cody secretly wondered if he would make it that far.

He then noticed the two guards who had been patrolling the floor in which he been hiding. The first guard walked out of Cody's vision, presumably to continue patrolling at another section of the floor. The second guard remained where he previously stood, but looked away from Cody's direction. Directly behind him was the stairs to the next floor, and Cody was just a few agonising meters away from it.

Spotting an opportunity, Cody slowly crept out of his hiding spot, taking care not to step into any places where his shadow would be seen. Cautiously cushioning his steps, Cody held his breath as he sneaked towards the stairs, silently entreating the attentive guard to not turn around.

A mistake.

In a moment of carelessness, Cody failed to remember his silvery wristwatch and the ability of shiny surfaces to reflect light. The light from a nearby ceiling lamp hit his wristwatch as he skulked, reflecting off its surface and casting a small, bright patch on the wall that the guard was directly facing.

Cody noticed his error too late. The guard, upon spotting the sudden patch of bright, spun around rapidly, drawing his gun. Spotting Cody crouching in front of him, the guard growled and fired the weapon.

Swearing under his breath, Cody fell to his knees and rolled on the floor on which he had been previously standing, narrowly avoiding getting hit by the bullet, which buried itself into the carpeted floor. Even in a life-threatening situation, Cody was able to recognise the muffled sound that the weapon had made upon firing.

A silencer.

Perhaps things wouldn't be so bad after all.

Involuntarily grinning as he realised the unexpected advantage that the guard had thrust upon him by using the quiet weapon, Cody leapt upwards from his position on the floor, startling the guard. Before he could fire again, Cody grabbed hold of the guard's gun-arm and twisted it painfully behind his back, using his own body as a pivot to force himself behind the guard and out of firing range. Knowing that the guard could possibly shout for help, Cody used his other hand his forcefully clamp shut the guard's mouth.

"Oof!"

Cody let out a grunt as the guard smashed into his abdomen with his free elbow. Getting significantly more angry at his own mistake, Cody raised his right leg and kicked out forcefully at the guard's left knee-joint, tripping him and causing him to land painfully on the floor, his limbs sprawled about him. The gun in his hand fell with a slight clatter, the sound thankfully muffled by the carpet.

Instinct begged for the guard to focus on reaching for the gun to defend himself against the unknown threat, but Cody, unfortunately, anticipated his action. As the guard reached out for his weapon, Cody bent down in front of him and placed both palms on the floor. In a fluid motion, Cody allowed his hands to support his body weight as he swung his legs out from under his body, thrusting them forward and skywards in a graceful arc. In the last split-seconds of the move, Cody lifted off the ground entirely.

There was a sickening crunch as the hard leather shoe protecting Cody's right foot struck the guard's jawbone with inhuman force, shattering bone and rattling his brain within his skull. For a painfully long second, the guard was airborne. Spotting a potential disaster, Cody snatched the guard by his shirt before he could land loudly on the ground.

The guard fell limp in Cody's hands, unconscious.

Before Cody could even pause to calm the loud throbbing in his ears, his hypersensitive sense organs picked up the sound of footsteps on the ground, a short distance away.

Letting out a string of quiet expletives, Cody grabbed onto the guard's shirt and pulled him against his own body. Cody then kicked the gun that lay abandoned on the floor, his left hand snatching it as it sailed upwards through the air. With only seconds to spare, Cody carried his significantly heavier load into the same dark corner where he had resided just moments before. Crouching down into the darkness, Cody gritted his teeth.

_Go away, go away, go away…_

He continue reciting the words in his head for 5 painfully long seconds.

As though obeying Cody's silent mantra, the second guard merely looked around the area. Ultimately deciding that his fellow companion had merely went to a different floor to continue his patrol, the guard turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Cody in the dark corner, with a comatose but still breathing guard on his lap, to catch his breath.

* * *

_What the hell is he doing?_

It had been nearly an hour and a half into Cody's mission, and Zack was getting exponentially more anxious by the second. His brother had never taken so long for a mission before.

As though by instinct, he grabbed the specially engineered suit jacket that lay in the corner of the helicopter and put it on, checking to make sure that all the necessary mechanisms and devices were tucked in the right pockets as he did so, such that he would be prepared to spring into action immediately should the need arise.

Trying to still his frazzled nerves, Zack sat himself down on one of the passenger seats and buried his head in his hands.

_God, keep him safe, dammit!_

Frustrated, he kicked the chair in front of him violently, feeling it shake in protest. Only seconds later, the cockpit door slid open with vehemence, causing Zack to jump to his feet with a heavy sense of foreboding.

"Agent Martin! Agent Cody just set off the emergency beacon!"

Swearing loudly, Zack jammed the mobile phone clutched in his hand into his suit and smashed his hand onto a red button on the side of the helicopter exit. Almost immediately, the hinges to the helicopter door let out a hiss as the hydraulic mechanism forced the door to slide open. Simultaneously, a rope dropped.

Shouting against the wind, Zack yelled at the pilot as he strapped on his black leather gloves.

"Destination!"

"23rd floor! Main office, inner sanctum!"

"Estimated duration to reach destination from roof!"

"10 minutes if no security personnel present!"

There were no other words exchanged.

Gritting his teeth in determination, Zack hoisted himself down onto the rope that was suspended from the helicopter exit, sliding himself down onto the roof of Glasgow's most heavily guarded building. He ripped the gloves off his hands and tossed them off the roof while striding towards the unguarded fire exit.

_I'm coming, Cody!_

* * *

**Author's Note** - There will gradually be a few more flashbacks to let you understand why the brothers are in the situation they are in at this moment in time. I injected in more action into this chapter as I had the feeling that some of you might miss it. Reviews greatly appreciated!

~SUITELIFEFAN


	4. Chapter 3

**Bloody Hunger - Chapter 3**

There was a loud bang, followed by sudden darkness that engulfed the entire office. The lightbulb above Cody's head exploded as a stray bullet, fired from the other side of the room, broke the fluorescent tube, causing tiny fragments of glass to rain upon the disgruntled agent who was crouching behind the oakwood table. Raising his arms above his head to protect himself from the falling debris, Cody winced as the minuscule shards of crystallised sand tore tiny cuts into his hand.

He had gotten himself into a truly harrowing situation.

By a amateurish, potentially fatal mistake on his part, Cody had been too enthusiastic about getting the object that the DIA desired, and had stupidly cornered himself into an office with no other exit except the front door. That very exit was now blocked by five angry, trigger-happy guards who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Cody suspected that they had found their colleague whom he had left in the dark corner two floors down.

Next to Cody lay the object of the DIA's desire: a laptop that contained numerous classified secrets that Cody had not been briefed on prior to the mission. However, if Cody couldn't get out of the building alive, his efforts and the DIA's hopes would have been dashed.

Unable to concede that he had been trapped like a mouse in a laboratory maze, Cody looked to his left and right, praying that he would be able to find a way to get to the exit without being rained upon by a hailstorm of bullets. Confirming that there was no direct route of exit, he rechecked the electronic map in his possession. No secret entrances were recorded to be present in the office. The desk was located a significant distance, an estimated fifty meters, away from the exit, with the only cover present being the desk itself. Cody gritted his teeth as he realized the implications of his situation. No doubt these five guards have contacted for backup. Even if they hadn't, the loud gunshots would have every other guard within a 2 floor radius flooding into the office in a matter of minutes.

Knowing that he would never be able to hold off every single armed guard in the building, Cody decided not to go down for a lack of try. Reaching into his suit pocket, he withdrew a tiny revolver that he had promised himself to only use in the case of emergencies.

Cody didn't like to kill. Unfortunately, the situation seemed to demand it.

Checking to ensure that the gun was loaded, Cody held his breath as he popped up from behind the desk. Without a single moment of hesitation, he fired the revolver, hitting his mark as the first bullet embedded itself into the cranium of one of the five guards who had been standing outside the office. There was a horrific yell as he crumpled.

Before the other four could react to the sudden reappearance of their target, Cody swung his gun a few degrees to the left and fired another projectile. This time, the bullet struck the unsuspecting guard's neck, ripping his carotid artery to shreds. Blood gushed onto the ground as the guard dropped his gun and gripped his neck, but to no avail. The damaged major artery would ensure that unconsciousness and death would come in a matter of seconds.

Cody ducked down behind the desk as the other three guards, now awake from their stupor, fired a massive hoard of bullets in his direction. The sound of the flying projectiles in the enclosed, windowless office was deafening. In his haste to protect himself from the bullets, Cody's back struck the large oakwood desk. To his surprise, the sudden force inflicted upon the desk caused it to shift a millimeter forward.

Eyes now gleaming as he recognized an opportunity, Cody gave the desk a forceful push in the direction of the door. The "forceful push" only allowed the unexpectedly heavy desk to shift a few more centimeters, but it confirmed what Cody suspected.

The desk wasn't nailed to the ground.

Grinning slightly as he wiped a thin film of sweat off his forehead, Cody realized that even if the help from the DIA that he had just requested did not get here soon enough, there might be something he could do to get himself out of the sticky situation.

* * *

The main difference between the Martin brothers was their natural work ethics. Since they were mere children, Cody had always been identified by those who know him as the "smart, nerdy and neat one", the kid more likely to succeed in a job that breeds efficiency and intelligence than his brother Zack, who was identified as more of an untidy, sporty and spontaneous child.

Hypothetically, anyone who had been watching the two brothers in action in that tall, heavily guarded building in Glasgow would have made the same conclusion even as the brothers approached their 29th birthday.

As Zack rapidly descended the interior of the building to reach the inner sanctum of the 23rd floor, he did the exact opposite of what his brother did to get to that same floor from the base of the building. Seeing another guard near the staircase on the 30th floor with a rifle aimed at his direction, Zack didn't hesitate. Withdrawing his firearm from its holster, he cocked it and sent a bullet flying straight to the man's head. Sensing movement behind him, Zack spun around and fired with the precision of an expert marksman, hitting his mark and watching the guard fall to the ground lifeless.

This was, of course, the exact type of mission that he had been trained for. Zack wasn't a merciful agent by nature. And considering the fact that his brother might be in mortal peril at the moment, there was nothing that was going to stand in Zack's way. However, even as he efficiently took down every guard that dared to approach him, a lingering thought in his head kept him preoccupied.

_Is it possible for me to help Cody without him seeing me?_

As Zack played out implausible scenario after implausible scenario in his head, the earpiece fit snugly in his ear gave a buzz.

"Agent Martin?"

Taking down a nearby inattentive guard with a punch to the throat, Zack pushed the earpiece deeper into his ear with his finger.

"George?"

"I just received a full, analysed map of the building from DIA intelligence. In about five minutes it'll be remotely uploaded to your wristwatch, in case you need it. Also, headquarters is asking if you need further assistance."

Zack groaned in frustration as he took down another guard with his weapon. Ducking into the shadows, he paused his rampage as an entire herd of guards dashed past his hiding place.

"How would that even make sense?! It'll take them forever to get here anyway!"

"Not exactly, Agent Martin." The earpiece gave another buzz. "The convoy that brought Agent Cody to the building in the first place is just waiting outside on the first floor in an armored car."

Zack's eyes widened. He had completely forgotten about the presence of other DIA operatives. The men who brought and worked alongside secret agents would all have received at least basic military training in case of situations where their presence would be needed.

"They're requesting permission to storm the building. As the DIA standard operating procedures state, the sec agent in the field can command those of a lower rank."

Zack tried to calm himself as he contemplated his options. He could allow the men to stay in the car and race down to the 23rd floor by himself, and potentially risk both his and Cody's lives. He also the choice to command the men to enter the building to assist him from the ground below. Unfortunately, the men were not perfectly suited or trained for missions with this level of danger. The DIA could potentially lose valuable personnel.

The thought lingering in Zack's head from before popped up. As his cerebral cortex made the necessary connections between the two thought processes, Zack almost heard his brain give out a "click" sound as it recognized an opportunity.

"George?"

"Yes, Agent Martin?"

Zack gritted his teeth as he reloaded his firearm. His next words were spoken with resolute clarity.

"Connect me to the men down at the first floor, and listen in. I'll have further instructions for you in the next few minutes."

"Yes, Agent Martin."

The connection between Zack and the helicopter pilot terminated.

As Zack waited in the shadows for George to work his magic, he then heard a small hissing sound at his feet. Looking down at the ground, his eyes widened at the sight of a familiar object on the carpeted floor. A shot of adrenaline burst through his veins.

_Holy shit._

With nary a split second to spare, Zack spun on his heel and gave the object a magnificent kick. He watched as it flew a short distance away next to a guard, whom he assumed had thrown the object in the first place. Before guard could react, the tiny object detonated in mid-air, showering the man with shrapnel. Zack squatted down and shielded himself from the glaring light and the metal that threatened to rip apart any living flesh in the area.

Now sure that the danger had passed, Zack slowly stood from his position and observed the damage. The guard who had attempted to murder him with the miniature grenade was lying dead on the floor, stabbed by his own metaphorical sword. Around the body was a circle of fire where the carpet had ignited. Even from afar Zack could tell that the carpet itself had been ripped to shreds in a startlingly neat manner, drawing a circle of torn fluff around the dead guard.

_Normal grenades don't do that._

The most alarming thing was that Zack had actually recognized the model of the miniature grenade. As far as his knowledge extended, only one agency in the world had access to the deadly, easily pocketable weapon.

Just as he was reminding himself to inform Stevenson of his disturbing discovery, the earpiece in Zack's ear gave yet another buzz. Zack recognized the sound of a fresh incoming signal, asking to be connected. He tapped a button on the underside of his wristwatch to accept the call.

"Sec Agent, this is the secondary personnel at the base of the building."

From the multiple heavy breaths and the anxious tone of voice, Zack could tell that not only was the entire team listening in to his call, but they were also anxious about the situation.

"We've heard multiple gunshots from around the 30th floor. Should we storm the building?"

"No, no."

Zack scanned his surroundings to ensure that there weren't anymore unwanted grenades lying around the floor.

"Don't do that. Listen to me very closely. The truck should be armed with a DIA remote grenade launcher, am I wrong?"

"No sir, we have one of those on board."

"What's its effective range?"

"Maximum range of 75 meters, sir."

"Excellent." Zack quickly made his way to the staircase that would lead him one floor below.

"This is what I want you to do…"

* * *

With a resounding snap, a scream was simultaneously released into the air as the heavy oakwood desk on the 23rd floor momentarily lifted off the ground and fell onto the foot of the only remaining guard that was still on the level. Cody slipped out from under the desk and fired another bullet into the guard's face, silencing him.

He had never felt more exhausted in any of his prior missions.

On the floor lay the bodies of 10 guards, all sprawled at the entrance of the office. It was thanks to the oakwood desk, now riddled with uncountable bullet holes, that Cody was still alive. Cody had continued to slowly push the desk from the end of the room towards the entrance of the office, occasionally popping a bullet or two when he could find an opportunity. Reinforcements from the other floors had come, though not in the massive hoards that Cody had previously imagined.

Wondering why the reinforcements from DIA had not arrived yet, Cody bent down and picked up the laptop. Slipping it under his suit jacket, he allowed his now empty bullet cartridge to drop with a thud on the carpeted floor. Just as he was walking out of the office and slipping a hand deeper into his jacket to obtain a fresh magazine, there was a loud crack in the air.

A wave of fire seemed to erupt in Cody's left arm as a bullet burrowed its way into his arm from behind, his nocioreceptors sending his brain into overdrive. Involuntarily yelling out in pain, Cody instinctively whipped around, only to see a guard standing in the corridor with a pistol raised at head level, ready to fire again. Cursing himself for his second big mistake of the day, Cody rapidly popped the fresh magazine into his revolver, trying his best to ignore the warm sensation that seemed to be trickling down the inside of his shirt. Throwing himself against a wall to avoid the second and third bullet that was sent his wall, Cody dislodged the safety and pumped a duo of projectiles into the guard's chest.

Deciding not to waste anymore time, Cody dashed in the direction of the staircase, completely aware of the fact that he would have to somehow navigate his way back down 23 levels of heavily guarded hell. The pain in his left arm had now receded into a dull throb. Cody decided not to check under his suit jacket for the time being in order to spare himself an ugly sight.

A loud hum of cables being raised caught his attention.

Looking in the direction of the sound, Cody's eyes widened as he took in the familiar sight.

_An elevator! Wait…_

Cody didn't remember seeing an elevator on any of the floors. Whipping out the electronic map for the umpteenth time that night, he turned on the remote electronic tracer and extracted the building's lift systems from the DIA files.

_The elevator only runs between the 1st and 23rd floor…_

As surprised as Cody was, he realized that the concept was not as unorthodox that he imagined. Briefly recalling a small number of other buildings that he had infiltrated in the past, he understood the possible motives that building designers might have had. It was unlikely that the top dog who worked in the building in question would have wanted to climb 23 flights of stairs to get to his office.

Suddenly, alarm bells started to ring in Cody's head, despite the dizziness that was starting to sink in due to his blood loss.

_Oh, shit. Oh shit oh shit oh shit…_

Bolting to the elevator, Cody hastily extracted a tiny device from his suit. Slipping it between the doors, he pushed a button on his wristwatch. With a surprising amount of force, Cody watched as the device extended itself, pushing the doors apart.

The elevator shaft was massive. The elevator car itself was likely to be equivalently big.

_Enough to store at least 20 men…_

Peeking downwards into the shaft, Cody could feel his eyebrows lifting up and disappearing into his hairline. The car was only 2 floors away. Knowing that there was hardly any time to waste, Cody raised his firearm and aimed it at the hoist cables that suspended the elevator car in midair.

He fired. Twice.

The bullets that emerged from the weapon flew into the shaft and hit their mark, striking the two hoist cables one after another, ripping them away entirely from the pulley system. Gravity immediately took over. The series of yells from the car occupants that reached Cody's ears gradually decreased in amplitude as the car fell, increasing in velocity as it raced through the shaft towards the ground.

Cody winced as the sound of the car smashing into the ground 23 floors down reached his ears. The screaming had long stopped by then.

_Damn…_

Trying to swallow the guilt that was gradually rising up his throat, Cody tried to focus on the mission at hand. Checking to see that the laptop was still tucked safely in his suit, Cody looked at the staircase, ready to make a rapid dash down the 23 assorted levels to safety.

Suddenly, the air stilled.

A massive shockwave made its way through the building and broke Cody's concentration. Startled by the violent rumbling beneath his feet and the sound that threatened to destroy his eardrum, Cody tripped and fell sideways into the open elevator shaft.

Aware of the fact that he was seconds away from becoming a mere mass of blood and destroyed flesh like the poor souls in the elevator he had just destroyed, Cody recalled his agent training and spun around, catching hold of the 23rd floor's carpet with his right hand, breaking his fall.

As he hung perilously 23 floors above solid ground, Cody's mind was racing.

_What the hell was that?!_

* * *

**Author's Note** - Update will be a little more sparse as I prepare for a major examination that's coming up really soon. ALso note that this story is a partial AU. Some elements of the original series will be gradually brought in as time passes. Reviews please!

~SUITELIFEFAN


	5. Chapter 4

**Bloody Hunger – Chapter 4**

Unaware of the peril that his instructions had just put his brother whom he had been trying to save in, Zack winced as a stunningly loud explosion shock the ground he was standing on. Tripping on the staircase, Zack fell to ground painfully on his posterior, narrowing avoiding shards of glass that lay threateningly at the base of the stairs.

Willing him to calm down before he hurt himself, Zack stood slowly as he allowed the stars in his vision to clear. Raising his wrist, he spoke into the device that still beeped hastily.

"Did you hit the 22nd floor?"

"I'm sorry, Sec Agent." Anxious heavy breathing blared from the tiny speaker affixed on Zack's wristwatch. "The grenade did a bit more damage than we intended. The windows of the 19th to 24th floor have been blown clear, the heaviest damage done to the 21st floor."

The gears starting turning in Zack's head.

"Don't worry about it. Now listen to me, I'm only going to say this once."

Zack paused momentarily to fire another bullet into the cranium of an unfortunate guard who had appeared from around a bend, the man falling lifeless onto the ground before he could even cock his weapon.

"Drive away."

"What?"

"Drive to the nearest military airspace where your onboard GPS has indicated. I'll have the commander send over an agency plane as soon as possible."

Zack swore as one of the men at his feet grabbed his ankle in desperation. With a thundering whack to the head with the heel of his shoe, the man was silenced yet again.

"We need to get everyone involved in this mission out of the country. It wasn't supposed to go like this. I take it that you understand what I mean?"

There was a short moment of hesitation as Zack waited impatiently for the men's response.

"Copy that, Sec Agent. What about Agent Martin?"

Zack's expression darkened for a moment as he considered the implications.

"Don't worry about him, I'll handle it."

"Thank you, Sec Agent. Over and out."

The connection between Zack and the men at the base of the building broke. Readying himself for what was about to come, Zack spoke again into his wristwatch, praying that everything would go smoothly.

Then again, he had learnt to always anticipate the unexpected.

"George, were you listening in?"

"Yes, Agent Martin."

"Do you understand what to-"

"I've already sent out a message to the nearest DIA headquarters. They'll be sending a plane within the next thirty minutes."

"Good man. There's something else I need you to do, but it's going to be…difficult. It technically goes beyond your mission scope for tonight, but we'll all need to make personal sacrifices if we want to get everyone out of this alive."

Zack could hear his pilot hesitating on the other end of the connection, almost as though he knew what Zack was planning. For a moment, Zack felt guilty for dragging the pilot, not an official field agent, into this.

"Do I have your cooperation?"

Another moment of hesitation.

"Agent Martin, when I began work at the DIA I swore an oath that I would pledge my services and life to our country, regardless of the consequences, personal or otherwise."

Zack smiled.

"Whatever instructions you have for me, Agent Martin, please issue them. I will not let you down."

* * *

Pushing the laptop that rested precariously in his jacket pocket onto the carpeted 23rd floor, Cody grabbed onto the carpet, his only lifeline, with both hands. He no longer had to worry about any elevators, but falling to his death from 23 floors above the ground was an equivalently possible outcome that he had to try to avoid.

Pushing against his own weight, Cody let out a pained wince as his left arm, already gushing blood from its bullet hole, screamed at his effort. Black spots were starting to gather in Cody's vision. He could feel his probability of leaving alive from the building gradually decreasing as the seconds passed.

It was with gargantuan effort that Cody managed to use only his right arm and his force of will to push himself out of the elevator shaft. Resting on his back, Cody tried to steady his erratic breathing as he tried to gather his senses.

_23 more floors to navigate._

Rolling on his back and ignoring the devil that seemed to be pushing hellfire into his wound, Cody caught a glimpse of the small black object that was lying on the ground, an object that he was now literally risking his own life for. It stared back at him unintimidating and innocently, as though silently mocking his efforts.

_Stevenson had better have a good reason for wanting this._

Sliding himself towards the laptop, Cody picked it up and shoved it back into his jacket pocket.

What he felt next came unannounced, taking him aback completely.

A burning pain suddenly seemed to erupt through the tendons in his right leg. For a short moment, Cody forgot about the pain he was feeling in his left arm as his brain frantically accepted signals from his leg's nocioreceptors, sending his motor processes into overdrive. Instinctively, Cody dove to his left; the only direction possible as the open elevator shaft lay open on his right, and narrowly avoided being hit by another accursed projectile.

"Freeze, motherfucker."

_Shit._

Raising his hands slowly above his head, Cody turned around to see a lone guard, looking exceptionally pleased, with a weapon, glittering steel, its barrel facing back at him, daring him to move. Another glance at the gun revealed to Cody a silencer attached at its end.

"One more move, and I'll put you to sleep."

Willing himself to not go into shock at the feeling of another stream of blood leaking out of his body, Cody tried to analyze his surroundings for anything he could use to his advantage even in a situation as dire at this.

"Where are your friends?"

The guard seemed surprised at the bold question.

"I don't need them. If I take you to the authorities myself, I'll be hailed as a hero."

Cody grinned inwardly at this.

_What a retard._

"So what are you going to do? Take me down 23 flights of stairs alone with only a gun? You underestimate my abilities."

"Of course not." The man smiled as he stuck his free hand into his pants pocket and brought out a pair of handcuffs, which Cody raised an eyebrow at. "I'll be getting these onto you first, to make sure you don't try any funny business."

Cody smiled inwardly.

"And we'll be taking the elevator."

"We can't."

"What?"

"I've…disabled it."

Taking a bold peak to his left, the guard saw the open doors of the elevator shaft and the presence of broken cables that hung uselessly from above. Sparks flew from the broken ends of the electrical wires.

"Fine." The guard gritted his teeth, willing himself to not shoot the intruder in his head. "We'll take the stairs. Any strange movements, you die."

Cody didn't bother to respond. It was the first time where he had found himself in a situation where he didn't have any leverage whatsoever. No weapon, nothing to shield himself with, nothing in the terrain that could be used for any form of useful action. Only one exception existed, and he hadn't gotten his hands on it yet.

Struggling against the darkness due to his rapid blood loss, Cody tried to recall a particularly memorable training session from years back as the guard approached him.

**Flashback**

The sound of heavy breathing filled the small space that doubled as a gym and a combat training room. If anyone else were to enter the tiny area they would have been immediately knocked unconscious by the overwhelming stench of sweat that filled the air. At the center of the room was a single red mat, worn out due to years of neglect.

"Oi, Cody, pay attention."

"Sorry."

The goal was simple. Using any of the tools scattered on the ground, take down the opponent without harming them to an excessive extent. The training session was suggested by the same two agents who now populated the unused DIA warehouse, and was reluctantly endorsed by a certain higher-up, who knew of the damage that the pair could do when left unsupervised.

Their past sessions involving the use of weaponry and dangerous equipment had involved four broken glass walls that cost the DIA hundreds in repair fees. Never again would the higher-up be making that mistake.

Anticipating the movement of the hand clad with a pair of brass knuckles coming towards him from his left, Cody swung to his right, narrowly avoiding a bloody nose. Ducking a kick that approached his head from his right, Cody quickly tucked the toe of his dress shoe under a police baton lying on the ground and kicked it upwards. Snatching the relatively light weapon, he swung the weapon towards his opponent with alarming force, which would have definitely disabled her if she had not parried the move by slamming the brass knuckles against the baton at the very last second.

"Good move."

"Thanks."

Cody relished these sparring sessions.

Without hesitating, Cody then tossed the baton in his opponent's direction, watching it miss as it flew a remarkable distance away. Clearing not anticipating him getting rid of his weapon, his opponent was stunned for a mere second. This was sufficient for Cody to temporarily retreat towards an object that he spotted earlier on the ground, waiting for someone to use it.

A pair of quality, Hiatt-type handcuffs.

_Perfect for disabling an opponent_.

When his opponent turned around to face him again, she saw him with the pair of handcuffs in his hands and grinned humorously.

"Handcuffs? Really?"

Cody smiled back.

"Why not?"

"Please, Cody." His opponent brushed her hair out of her face. "Don't you even remember the experiences I've had with those things?"

"I recall your experiences, but none if them, if I recall, involved a guy who was just as well-trained in combat like this as you were."

His opponent smirked back mockingly at him.

"You know what?"

Cody raised an eyebrow as she removed her brass knuckles and dangled them precariously in the fingers of one hand before tossing them carelessly away, listening as he heard them fall with a clatter onto the ground.

"I bet I won't even need those to take you down."

Cody smiled even wider.

"You're on."

Racing forward towards her, Cody snapped open one of the cuffs by its hinge. Employing a common distraction technique as he approached, he spotted her exposed right wrist, and grinned at her carelessness. With the eyes that only a trained agent could obtain, Cody almost casually allowed his grip on the open cuff to loosen, allowing its inside to connect with his opponent's wrist, before using his thumb to push the cuff into place, hearing a satisfying click as he did.

Ready to subdue his opponent and attach the other cuff that was now connecting the two agents with its single chain, Cody spun around, only to realize that his opponent was merely grasping onto the closed cuff with two fingers, and was now tugging on them playfully. No evidence of the cuff at any point being secured around her wrist existed.

_What in the…_

Spotting her opponent's alarm, the female agent dashed forward and drove an elbow into Cody's stomach, causing him to let go of the handcuffs on his end. Now in full control of the weapon, the female agent spun around and, to Cody's alarm and confusion, manipulated the restraint devices in a manner which he had never imagined possible. Within two seconds, Cody found himself with his hands cuffed firmly behind his back, and his opponent lifting up the back of his jacket.

"How in the hell did you…"

"Shh…we're not done yet."

Helpless, Cody could only wince in discomfort as Bailey Pickett suddenly reached into his trousers, grabbed the waistband of his white boxer briefs with both hands and yanked them skywards to a significant height above his pants line.

Leaning in, Bailey struggled to hold back laughter as she whispered into Cody's ear.

"Now that's what I call a wedgie."

Squirming in discomfort and embarrassment, Cody grimaced in pain as his underpants found their way deeper and deeper into his rear, worsening with every movement he made. Bailey, in direct contrast, now seemed to be positively enjoying herself as she took pleasure in hiking her colleague's undies up towards his head.

"Do you concede? If you don't I'll make this one atomic."

Deciding quickly that the pain of having his underwear yanked over his head was far worse than conceding the training session to his opponent, Cody hastily conceded, to which Bailey responded by letting go of said underpants. Cody sighed at the relief he received. However, his boxer briefs were still a considerable length out of his pants, and he couldn't move his arms to give himself any further relief.

"Er, Bailey? A little help here?"

Bailey's smirk grew even wider, if it were even possible.

"You don't have the keys to those handcuffs? I never got them, Cody."

Cody's eyes widened.

"And your undies are very cute, but I'm not helping you get them back in."

Cody could only stare in horror as Bailey picked up her towel and walked towards the exit door of the warehouse. As she pushed the door open, there was a gentle tinge of teasing in her voice.

"Stevenson probably stashed the key somewhere here. Good luck."

**End Flashback**

As the first cuff touched his wrist, Cody snapped out of his recollection and, with tremendous force, drove the heel of his shoe onto the guard's toes. Yelping in pain, the guard didn't have the mental agility to fire his gun. Instead, he soon found himself on the receiving end of the attack as Cody twisted the handcuffs around and ripped them out of his hand.

"My apologies."

Seething with rage, the guard raised his weapon, ready to end the life of the intruder. What he didn't expect was Cody swinging the pair of handcuffs in an almost graceful arc before swinging the pair straight towards his face. There was a sound of cracking bone that broke through the air as one of the steel cuffs broke his jaw, followed by a shot as the guard instinctively fired his gun in partial anger and pain. The bullet, not even remotely directed at any conceivable target, buried itself harmlessly into the thick, carpeted floor.

Not giving the guard any buffer time to react, Cody slammed a fist into the other side of the guard's face, whilst synchronously sending another towards the guard's elbow, causing him to drop the weapon. Dazed, the guard lost track of his surroundings as his world started to become consumed in partial darkness.

Without hesitating, Cody raised his right leg, foot clad in hard black leather, and spun it towards his opponent's face. As the limb collided with the guard's cranium, the man lost consciousness instantly as the savate technique lifted him off the ground, sending him flying in midair towards the open elevator shaft.

There was no screaming as the guard fell 23 floors towards the ground, only a single loud burst of sound as the body met 20 others lying in a crumpled heap of twisted metal and flesh.

* * *

George the pilot had just expertly maneuvered a large helicopter through a narrow path of Scottish airspace. With the vehicle just a few cautious meters away from the building of which had just been infiltrated by two of DIA's best, George felt his palms become overwhelmingly sweaty as he awaited his next instructions from Sec Agent Zack Martin.

Without warning, the radio on the helicopter buzzed yet again. George scrambled to receive the call.

"George, have you reached the 25th floor?"

"Yes, Agent Martin. Now awaiting your next instructions."

"Good. Open the doors of the helicopter."

George's eyes widened.

"I don't think I heard you correctly, Agent Martin. Could you repeat your instruction?"

"Open the doors."

George gulped.

"Yes, Agent Martin."

With a single tap in a button in the cockpit, the doors of the military grade helicopter swung open in mid-air. Not knowing what to expect, George could only sit and stare towards the glass windows of the government building, praying that his superior wouldn't try anything stupid.

As his eyes caught sight of a shadow that seemed to be moving within the innards of the building, George squinted his eyes as he tried to detect the reason for the movement. A revelation then hit him forcefully in the gut.

"Holy shit…"

With the force of an enraged, charging bull, Zack Martin dove towards the intact glass windows on the 25th floor of the building. As the glass shattered into smithereens, Zack experienced a sudden shot of adrenaline as he moved almost weightless through the air.

His life flashed before his eyes.

Zack Martin would have found himself kissing the pavement 25 floors down if it weren't for the large DIA helicopter; its doors wide open, waiting to greet him. With a thud, Zack landed ungracefully into the passenger section of the helicopter. George, sensing immediate danger, slammed his hand on another button on the cockpit dashboard. The doors shut instantly, preventing Zack from accidentally tumbling out of the aerial vehicle.

Standing up shakily, Zack spotted his pilot staring dumbfounded back at him.

"Thanks for that, George. I've pretty much taken of everyone on the floors above this one, so Cody shouldn't receive much more interference from the floors above his."

He brushed a hand through his blond hair to clear it of miniscule shards of glass.

"We're not done yet."

* * *

**Author's Note** – First chapter in quite a while, ladies and gentlemen. The twins will be out of the building by the next chapter, take my word for it. For some reason it was absolutely hilarious when I tried to write the training flashback with Bailey. I literally burst out laughing when I imagined the wedgie Cody received from his partner in crime.

Reviews greatly appreciated.

~SUITELIFEFAN


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